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How much do startups pay their developers?

8 points by syalam ↗ HN
i always see threads for a developer needed on some startup here on HN. How much can a startup developer expect to make (even though they are most probably joining for the thrill and passion for the company)?

8 comments

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prospero
Does the startup have funding? Does it have appreciable revenue? Are either of these things on the horizon?

Does the developer have applicable experience? Is he willing to take increased equity in exchange for a decreased salary? How many other people on the job market have the same skill set?

Where is the startup located? What is the cost of living there? What is the median salary for the area?

syalam
well a ballpark average for a software engineer right out of college is around the tune of $60K.
prospero
Okay, that's one question answered, but there are eight others.
baguasquirrel
depends on your level of skill and the school you came out of too. if you're reading news.ycombinator, please don't shortchange yourself and accept $60k, which btw, just happens to be exactly what I did when I got out. my current company offers $100k for friggin QA positions if you know C++/C (i.e. you're actually capable of being a developer). of course, my company is not a startup anymore, so adjust your figures appropriately.

what I've seen is that anything goes for a startup. it depends a lot on how well funded they are and how in tune with the establishment the founder(s) are. but if you ask me, you should really not be assessing a startup based on salary. doing a startup is a passion. why would you do one otherwise? if salary is important to you, then just stick with the small company doling out $100k for a QA position sort of gig.

the_tank_frank
Well, recently out of college in west Texas I managed 40K a year plus 16K shares at 3 dollars a share. Wasn't really sure if that was any good.
quellhorst
I try to get 6 figures, but its hard to find startups that can afford to pay that much for long. What you make totally depends on where you live/work.

When it comes to stock, I view it as a useless bonus, many times I was promised stock and it was never issued, and most of the time it would be worthless anyway.

gamble
The real question is how much equity you'll receive. Without a share in the upside, working as an employee at a startup is a sucker's game.
trickjarrett
I naively was looking for and got a low sum for a company here in Orlando, approximately 35k and I ended up resenting the company and others. I was fairly sure I was the lowest paid member on the staff and that the intern who was a son of one of the investors might have made more than me.

My current job is not a startup, but I got a much more reasonable figure in line with what I need to happily live my life.